Mr. Hallasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer how the purchasing power of the pay of a lieutenant-colonel in the British Army today, or the equivalent rank in the other Services, compares with that of the same rank on 11th November, 1918.
Mr. AmoryThe minimum annual rate of pay and allowances for a married lieutenant-colonel in 1918 amounted to £653, which is equivalent to £1,400 at today's prices. This answer is based on the Ministry of Labour cost of living index from 1918 to 1938, the consumer price index from 1938 to 1958, and the Ministry of Labour index of retail prices for 1959 to date. The minimum annual rate of pay and allowances for a married lieutenant-colonel today amounts to £2,156. This figure includes marriage and ration allowances but not the other allowances shown in section (C) of Appendix I of the Army Estimates.